Pneumatic-tire shield.



PATEII'IED OCT. 16, 1906.

J. HJLOWREY. PNEUMATIC TIRE SHIELD. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTORNEYS I mVE/v'mk JOSEPH HE RYLOWR EY] No. 833,234, PATENTED 001. 16, 1906.

J. H. LOWREY. PNEUMATIC TIRE SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED BEPT.26,1905L INVENTOH JOSEPH H ENRY LOWREV ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES .iosErH HENRY Lownnr, or nnoLii,

PNEUMATIO-TERE SHIELD.

' To all whom it may concern} iul Improvement in the steering-gear.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH HENRY Low- REY, a citizen oflhe United States, residing at Neola, in the county oi Pottawattarnie and State of Iowa, have invented a new and use- Pneurnatic-Tire Shields, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide, a

simple, strong, and durable shield to be ap-' plied to the neuinatic tires of automobiles and other ve icles which shall not only rotect' the tire against injury, but which snail also increase the tractive adherence to the road, so as to successfully travel over ice, snow, and mud or climb hills without slipping, and which shall also prevent accidents occurring daily by reason of the front wheels failing to respond to the guiding influence of In such cases, especially in' turning curves at high speed, the slipping or skidding ol' the wheels on the surface of the earth results frequently in the machine bounding into some obstruction or colliding with some other vehicle or plungin into some river or ravine, involving serious oss of life and property.

My invention'consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the shield and its various parts, which I will now proceed to describe with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a pneumatic tire and wheel with a portion of my shield applan view ofa plied to the same. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. l and 2 are similar views of a modification. Fig. 3 is a ortion of the shield, and igs. 4 to 13 are etails.

The shield consists of'a series of plates coupledtogether by links to form a sort of flexible armor which surrounds all of the outer or exposed part of the pneumatic tire and has on each side a marginal chain ring in f connection with a boxing inside the felly con taining springs, which are flexibly connected to the edges of the shield to maintain a proper tension of the shield upon the lpneu matic 'tire without 'afl'ecting ltS' pneumatic quality.

The plates 1 are all made alike of steel cut out of a sheet of the metal and pressed or bent into shape.v These plates are cut in the form shown in Fig. 4. bent under until they lap in themiddle; form ing a loop at eachend and a three gply thiek- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 26, 1905. Serial in. -280.111.

Their ends are then- Patented Get. 16, 1906.

ness in the middle. (See Fig. 5.) The loops (fare secured by rivets a, which loops serve to connect with links 2, Fig. 1, running longitudinally around the wheel. On opposite sides of the plate in the original stamping are formed erforated wings a, a which connect with linlis 3, which run transversely around the tire between the plates, eonnectin' them together laterally. in the center 'o each plate throu hits three-ply thickness is riveted a cone-s .aped spike a or other shape of projection adaptedto engage with the roaded to prevent slipping. The shank of such grap ling 'rojectionextends entirelythrough the t ree ayers of the plate, as seen in Fig. 5, which thereby give the connection stiffness and strength, and the inside end of the'shank is riveted or upset to a smooth surface where itconies in contact with the tire.

The longitudinal series of plates are connected into continuous rings around the tire by adjustable couplings C C", Fig. '1, each of which (see Figs. 6, 7, and 8) consists of two elevis-shaped plates 0 and 0, whose end loops are caught into the links 2 of the ends of the longitudinal series and which two clevises c c are adjustably connected by screws 0 These clevis-plates have two series of holes, one series for the set-screws for takin up slack in-the direction of their length and the other series arranged transversely'to connect the coupling-plates laterally by' intermediate links;

B B, Figs. 1 and 2, are the two ring-chains which constitute the two margins of the shield and extend all around the sides of the the near the line where the tire joins the r'elly. These ring-chains are coupled on one side by the transverse links 3 into the perforated wings of the adjacent series of plates to keep the side plates properly spaced apart when under the traction strain. From the outer links 3, or frornlthe chain rings B, there extends radially inward guy-chains 16.

These chains are connected to tension devices located just inside the telly, which tensibn devices pull the edges d'f the shield inwardly against the tire, taking up slack where t e tread of'the tire is pressed in by the weight oil the machine and yielding outwardly again when the tire. expands. These tension devices are contained within a coring d, which i lies just inside-and againshthe telly and extends froin spoke to spoke all around the wheel. The ends of the boxing are connect- ETD ed h two half-round clamp-plates 14 to the 'El 1e construction of these boxed in devices is best shown in Fig. 2. The inner ends the guy-chein 16 are connected to the og'iposite ends of a crossbar d, which cross--l zr is perforeted and rides on a spiral spring placed between the crossbar and the side of the honing adjoining the telly.

T Lee 1 spring is roundabout a stud d", which asses through the hole in the middle of the rose-her. These studs extend from the inner o the on tor wall of the boxing. The sides of the boxing ore slotted where the ends of the or "es-hers protrude, and said sides are detechebly secured by screws, so that the sides mey be removedand the cross-hers taken out if stony time it should be necessary to repair or re lace one of the tension-springs, which, itwil he seen, may be quickly and conveniently done on the road. One of the sides 17 else has n door 01', by which access is had to the nipple and valve in inflating the tire. At intermediate point in each guy-chain 16 there is inserted a s rin sne ehooklfi see which permits the guy-chains to he ily loosened for inserting new springs which also it voids the objection incident on open link becoming disconnected when the gnghchains are slackened by an inward movement of the shield at the point of conwith the ground. For coupling'up the ends 01'. the ring cliins B and for'tightening some it turnhuclrle ,20,'l ig. I, is empl yell for connecting the ends. ,5 instead of having the guy-chains 16 con nected to sepsrste cross-hars, each provided with its own 5 rings, as in Fig. 1, the guychztins may he rou 'ht together in groups, as

seen in. l igl end we put under the tensionof :1 single spring-bar 19. This spring-bar is disposed as a. chord of a circle ust inside the ielly within a segmental hoxm c. This boxing is cormocted hy hslf-soclqets e to the spokes, and these sockets have eiid cavities e", 5 in which the ends of the-spring-har 19 ride,

. said ends of the spring-bar being provided with rollers r, (see Fig. 13,) which take up friction in the cavities 0 of the socket-plate.

in toad irzd s has As", as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, I may construct them as shown in Figs. 9 to 12. The plate is stamped, as I 4 The ends I) l) are turned inward to form loops for the links 2, end the side wings b l) are similarly turned inward to forn'i loops for the. links 3. A cruciform projection I) is then riveted on by the same rivets that secure the loop ends.

l am uwnre that various attempts have been made to provide n tire-shield formed of chains and links and lieuring-blocks, and in pointing out the distinguishing features of my invention I would call attention esper-hdly to the particular onstruction of the shield -pletes and to the a angcment ol of forming the tire-plate with con-- shown Lt b in 9..

scenes i springs" for holding the shield against tire with a yielding action, said springs being located inside the fell y, where they are not in contact with the earth and do not become obstructed or rusted out with mud or snow. The independent connection of each trans verse series 'ofiplstes to its own spring secures free and independent action esch set of plates, in which one does not interfere r another, preserving the pneumatic goal; of the tire.

To prevent the longitudinal creeping of the tire'shield, end so hold its plates diametrically o posite each series of felly-springs, I providh the small wire cables at 0, These are 80 attached at their inner ends to aring or other connection of the socket lat-es 14 and at the outer ends to the hoop 6 sin B, the connection of the outer endinnerends being st ditiercnt radial points oroundthe wheel, so as to remain taut or not be slsckened by the elastic inward movement of the tire. These cables may he of an desired number, and one half of them'sre o a. reversed inclination to the other hall, so as to resist the traction o strain and the creeping of the shield both when going forward end. hnclrWs-r These cables allow the cross-hers to work freely in. their radial slots without jamming or binding from the traction strain.

' Having thus described my invention, whet I claim as new,e.nd desire to secure by Letters Potent, is

1. A tire-shield, consisting of s. flexible mor, springs arranged inside the fell s lions ing inside the folly for-inclosing the and means for connecting the springs to th edges of the shield to msmtein the sem'e under tension.

I 2. A tire-shield, consisting of e. flexible er,- mor composed of articulate lstes and links, a series of springs inside the oily corresponding to the transverse series of plates and means for separately connecting each transverse series of plates to its own spring.

3. A tire-shield, consistins of a flexible er Inor,\springs arranged insiue the folly end. within the plane of the some and, means connecting the s rin s to the edges oi the shield.

4. A. tire-s iel consisting of e sense s3."- mor with roachgrnppling projections, springs arranged inside the telly and within the of the same and chains with snap-hooks connecting said springs to the edges of the armor to maintain tne same under tension and hold the roitd grappling projections in position.

5. A tire-shield, consisting ore flexible ermor, springs arranged inside the folly", horring inclosing said springs and means connecting the springs to the edges of the shield.

6. A tide-shield, consisting of a, flexible er mor, a boxing? arranged inside the telly .he-

tween the spo (es, redial studs in said boxing, spiral springs around said studs, cross-pieces on the studs and springs, and means connect- I the opposite ends of the cross-pieces to riveted throu lithe three-ply thickness of the i5 the edges of the shield. I 1 i 7. A tire-shield, eonsisting of articulated 9. As anew 'ai'ticle of manufacture, a plate:

for s tpneumaticrtire shield, consisting of a series. of alteKnatingPlates and links, the 5,; plates-heing iormqd with ends bent-inwardly single piece of; sheet metal having perforated .into l'oops to receive a li'nk and having grapside wings and its ends bent inwardly and 29 lapied to forms three-ply thickness in the m1 die and loops at the ends, and a, road plin'gprojeotions riveted through the loop appling projection riveted through the 7 ends. i

8. A tire-shield, consisting of articulated gr :0 series of alternating lates and links, the three-ply'thickness of the late.

platesbeing formed with ends bent inwardly JOSEPH HEN Y LOWREY. to form loops to connect with links, the in Witnesses: folded ends being lapped to form athree-ply Y I THEODORE JAMES GEARHEART,

thickness, and a, road-grappling paojectionl J. vS. l'IERMsEN. 

